GLENDALE, Ariz. — Terry Francona had one decision taken out of his hands on Thursday when he delivered the news that lefty Caleb Ferguson will miss the start of the regular season with a sore right oblique.
“We got the news (Wednesday),” Francona announced before Thursday’s game against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. “They’re going to try to try to keep his arm moving. But when we get back to Cincinnati (for the season opener) depending on how he’s feeling physically, he’ll get MRI again. And the hope is that it’s not going to be (long-term). We’ve seen obliques. I think it’s maybe, I think we’re thinking like maybe a couple weeks then getting back on (track). It’s got to heal the way it heals, right?
“He’s gonna stay here with us and do his stuff. His stuff in the training room. And like I said, they’re gonna try to keep his arm moving. I don’t know quite exactly, but he didn’t feel it pitching. He didn’t feel when he woke up. All of a sudden, it was presenting in the back. (He went) to get the MRI looked at and there was something in the front. So we had to let doc look at him, and so it took us a couple days, but we’ll let him take care of it and get him back when he’s ready.”
Ferguson allowed five runs on six hits in just two spring outings, striking out one and walking three. The 29-year-old signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Reds in December. Ferguson’s injury means the Reds are down to two lefties in the pen, Sam Moll and Brock Burke. The backend of the relief corps appears set with Emilio Pagan, Tony Santillan, Pierce Johnson and Graham Ascraft. Moll and Burke would be the lefties. The Ferguson injury could open the door some for Connor Phillips, who has struggled this spring, allowing seven runs and six hits over five innings, with four strikeouts and six walks in five appearances before Thursday’s appearance against the Dodgers.
“We have Pagan, Tony and Ashcraft. We just want to see them pitch with health,” Francona said. “I think we’ve been really pleased with Pierce Johnson. Think he’s going to really help a ton. But I know if you look at their ERAs, they’re probably not very good. Of those three guys I was talking about, as long as they’re throwing like they’re supposed to.
“The the guys that usually turn your heads are the younger kids, and there’s a lot of times the first three weeks they’re pitching in the eighth or ninth or seventh.”
As for Phillips, who pitched in several high leverage situations in the final three weeks out of the bullpen, Francona will take a hard look at the hard-throwing righty. Phillips was overpowering in September, going 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA and 0.53 WHIP, including 19 strikeouts and five walks in 13 1/3 innings over 11 appearances.
“That’s a that’s an interesting one, because he did, did a really good job last year for towards the end of the season, and you’d love for a kid like that to come in and just blow you away,” Francona said. “He’s been inconsistent. Saying that, his stuff is very good but we’re just not ready to name guys that are on our team yet, so I think that’s fair to everybody.”
Lodolo took the mound Thursday at Camelback Ranch, two weeks from Opening Day and 16 days from his first scheduled start of the season, as Francona confirmed he will pitch the second game of the season, followed by Brady Singer in the series finale against the Red Sox.
“That’s what we know right now. And I actually do have a preference, and again, it’ll probably get changed around because it always does. But I like putting your lefties together, because I think you make other teams (adjust). I know when we come in on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, you see left, right, left or right left. It’s like, ‘Okay, here’s a good day for this guy to play.’ Here’s when you go left, left, especially if it’s night game, day game, you’re making the other team play some people they don’t necessarily want to play or sit people they don’t want to sit.”
Graham Ashcraft had a scoreless inning Wednesday against Milwaukee, lowering his ERA to 19.64 in four appearances, allowing eight runs and six hits in 2 2/3 innings before the scoreless frame against the Brewers. He has five strikeouts and three walks in four appearances.
“I think, by his own admission, he had some inconsistencies,” Francona said. “He’s really trying to to be able to work on throwing fastballs in to righties, and I’m glad he is doing that. One game he didn’t have a breaking ball. The other one other game he didn’t really have his command of his fastball. But again, ball’s coming out just fine. We just need to get some consistency. And, truth be told, like I said with Tony, those guys, they’re gonna carry a big load. Not sure we want them on February 20 to be locked in. That’s why the WBC worries so many people, because there’s a progression, and as long as they’re ready, then we’re good.”
As for Eugenio Suarez, he’s only had eight at-bats with a home run in two games in the last two weeks. Francona said the plan is certainly to try and get him up to speed once he rejoins the Reds after the WBC. Francona is always looking for ways to get his batters in against pitchers that will help them in regular season situations, such as Will Benson, JJ Bleday and Nathaniel Lowe against right-handed pitching. The Dodgers were throwing three lefties in the game against the Reds at night so Francona adjusted.
“I think we’ve done a really good our guys have done a really good job of getting their at-bats like (Thursday), because the Dodgers have three lefties going,” Francona said. “So I talked to Benson, Bleday and Lowe. “They’re all getting a bunch of at bats in minor league games, and they’re good about it, so they might get five, six or seven, at-bats today, and that’s really good. Now, we can play some of the guys we against the lefties. I think it just makes sense. But you can’t always do that with everybody.”
